Electroplating apparatus.



Patented May 22, 1900.

, L. POTTHOFF, ELEGTBOPLATING APPARATUS.

(Appiibatinn filed Aug. 2, 1899.)

' 2 Sheets-:Sheet I;

' (No Model.)

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WITNESISES: $6 3? w 9 ATTORNEY (No Model.)

(Application filed Aug. 2, 1899.)

Patented may 22, I900.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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ATTOR N EY.

LOUIS rorriiou'r, on NEW roan, n. Y.

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srnoxrrcazrron forming part of Letters latent No. 650,051, dated May e2, 1900. Applies tion filed August 2, 1899. Serial No. 725,853. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS Porrnorr, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, (Brooklyn,) in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electroplating Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to electroplating apro paratus, and has particular reference to apparatus of this character used for electroplating nails or other small articles.

One object of the invention is to construct an apparatus by which the articles will be evenly and uniformly coated.

A further object ofv the invention is to'improve the general construction of apparatus ol this character, whereby a uniform and perfeet contact may be elfected between the articles to be plated and that part of the apparatus upon which the same are supported while being plated, and at the same time render the parts of the apparatus less liable to deterioration from use. p v A still further object is to devise a system and apparatus whereby small articles may be evenly and uniformly electroplated at a moderate cost.

To this end my invention generally como prises one or more tanks containing the electrolytic solution and a numberof removable carriers or baskets adapted to be moved through said solution, whereby the contents of the carrier may be shaken up and again run through the same or another tank, or, if preferred, dumped therefrom into another carrier, also adapted to be moved through the same oranothcrsolution in another tank.

The invention also comprehends the use of a basket or carrier having exposed contact points or surfaces upon which the articles to be plated are adapted to rest and connections between said contact-surfaces and one of the poles of the electric circuit, the said carrier,

5 with the exception of said contact-surfaces,

being coated with non-conducting material, wherebythe parts oi the basket or carrier exposed to the solution will be rendered nonconductive and deposition thereupon wnl be prevented.

The invention will. be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the forms thercaway, of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side View, part-l yin section, of the structure shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the tank shown in Figs. 1 and 2... Figs. hand 5 are detail views of portions of the bottom of the carrying basket, illustrating two different modifications thereof; and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of an appzt ratus employing a still further modified form of carrier.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents a tank adapted to contain the electrolytic solution or bath, the same being of any suitable size and shape, preferably, however, of grcaterlength than breadth. The system may employ one or more tanks, but under ordinary conditions where the carriers are to be supported by the endless belts, as hereinafter described, I prefer to employ two or three separate tanks. At each end of each tank and immediately above the same are located a pulley 2 and a pulley 3, upon which is mounted an endless belt or chain 4. A driving-pulley 5 is connected with a suitable source of power and also with one of the pulleys 2 or 3 in order to operate the endless belt or chain 4. Where more than one tank is employed, the band or chain 4 may extend along the entire length of all the tanksif the same be placed and to end, or separate bands maybe used for each tank and the bands may be arranged to be operated in any suitable manner. From the top of the tank a suitable number of supports 6 6 6 6 extend inward toward the endless belt 4., and upon each support (3 is carried a block of insulating material 7, to which is affixed a track 8, extending substan tially the length of the tank, immediately adjacent to rind parallel with the endless belt t, the two tracks 8 8 being disposed one on each side of the belt. At intervals along the belt 4 are carried transverse strips 9 9 of conducting material, a block of insulating ma terial 10 being interposed between the strips and the belt. and are so adjusted with relation to the parts of the apparatus that the ends of the strips carried by that part of the belt below the pulleys will slide upon and make electric con- The strips 9 are of such length tact with the longitudinal strips 8 8, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Upon the strips 9 are fixed hooks 11 of electrical conducting material, from which the carriers or baskets may be adapted to be suspended, as hereinafter described.

The anodes of the apparatusa'r e disposed in any suitable manner; but I prefer to arrange one large anode 12 at the bottom of the tank and the anodes '13 and 14 at the top, as

, shown, the latter projecting inward toward each other, but leaving a longitudinal path 'between the same, throughwhich the.hook

suspending the carrier may be permitted to travel. The anodes13 and le may be suspended fromhangers 15 and 16, connected to theconduct'ing-bars 17 and 18. The bars 17 and 18 are connected with the positive end of the battery by means of wires 19, and the strips 8 are connected with the negative end of the battery by wires 20. The carriers or baskets 21 may be of suitable size and shape,

but when used in connection with an apparatus" employing the endless-band above .described will ordinarilyjcompr'ise a side rim 22 and a bottom 23, the latter being of metallic gauze, wire screening, open-work metal, or other similar material, and a rod 24 of conducting material attached to. the center of the bottom 23 and electrically connectedtherewith. The rod 24 is provided with a hook or other suitable means 25 for engaging with the hooks.:ll,.narried by the endless band or chain-.4. t

IfprefereeQxthe endless band or chain 4 may be dispensed with; but if so some suit-' able means should be provided for moving the articlesthreugh the solution and for changing the relative position of the articles with respect to each other and with respect to the carrier at intervals in order that the entire surface'ot'; the article may be presented to the solution-while the article is in the tank. This mayaccomplished by themeans shown in Fig. 6, wherein the carriers are represented as comprising endless bands 28, correspondingai ith the bottoms 23 of the carriers, heretofore described, mounted upon rolls 29, the bands being located substantially end to end andone below the other. B y means of shafting 30 the bands are made to operate together, so that the articles may be placed upon one end of theupperband, by which they will be carried to the end of that band and then dropped down" upon the end of the band below, by which they will be carried to the next suceeeding band, until the articles are finally dropped into a receptacle 31 at the end of the tauk,xvhieh receptacle is adapted to be withdrawn to emptythe articles.

I As the-bottoms 2S and the bands 28 will form a part of the electric circuit to which the articles to be plated are electrically connected, so that the articles and the bottom form one-electrode of the electric circuit, it

is desiiablethat as small a part of the bottom or band as possible shall be exposed to the solution in order that deposition may not take place upon the bottom and causethe of a suitable non-conductor of electricitysuch, for instance, as paint, enamel, &c.--the non conductor, however, not. covering the 'partsof the wires which touch each other and therefore not preventing contact with each other. The upper side of the bottom or of the endless band or open-work metal 28 is then scraped or rubbed until the projecting portions of the same are cleared of the nonconducting material, so that numerous small surfacesofthe metal will be uncovered along the top oil the carrier ,orbasket, Thisconstruction is shown in detail'in Fig. 4, wherein the bottom 23 is shown covered with non-.con-

ducting material and the surfaces 26 ofthe metal are uncovered alon the top of the car rier. The unprotectedsur ace's serveaspoints where contact is made between thearticle and thebottom of the carrier. It is obvious that this feature may be applied to eitherthe basket carriers shown in Figs. .4 and5 or to the endless-band carriers shownin Fig. 6, or

to any other construction of carriers.

If preferred, the bot-toms23 of the 'endlessband carriers 28 may be of much larger mesh f or but a few scattered wires and a supporting-cloth 27 of any suitable porous non-conducting material stretched across the bottom of the rim belowthe gauze or formed into an endless hand between the rollers 29 and the band 28. In thisinstance the cloth Will serve as a support upon which the articles to, be-

plated may rest, and electrical contact is secured, by'a fewof the articles resting upon or makiugcontact with some of the wires, this contact extending through the articles by rea son-oftheir contact with each 'other.

In the operation of the apparatus above de-. scribed themails or other articles to be plated are poured-into-the basket-carrier 21 or onto the endless band 28 and will rest upon the cloth, if clot-l1 be employed, or upon the nonconductive part of the bottom 23 or the endles's-band, and some of the articles will make contact with the exposed contact-points 26 or with the exposed wires of the bottom, and this contact will extend to all the articles by reason of their proximity to each other. The

endless bands 4 or 28 are then set'in motion,- and in the case of the endless bands the operation will be substantially as above described.' If the bands 4 arei'employed, the

hool 25 of one of the baskets filled with articlesfto -.be -plat-ed is fastened to one of the hooks 11 as the same passes to the under side of the the pulley 2, for instance, and travels therewith on .the under side of the band, so

that the basket is suspended in the solutionintermediate the anodes and travels the length of the tank. An'electrical circuit is established from the battery through wires 19 to the bar 17, through rods 15 and 16 to anodes 13 and 14, and through wire 28, which connects the upper and lower anodes,to anode 12, thence through the solution to the arti' clesin the basket, and thence through bottom 23, rod 24, strip 9, strips 8, and wires -20to the battery. At intervals along the tank, or, if preferred, at the end of the tank, the basket is unhooked and its contents'shaken up, so that the articles will makecontact with each other and with the bottom in different places and the basket is then again hung onto the belt in the same or a different tank; This process is continued until deposition of the desired thickness is obtained.

It will be observed that by reason of thefrequent changes of position of the articles with respect to themselves and the places where they tnake contact with the bottom the metal deposited upon thear'ticles will be of uniform thickness. 7

Having thus described my invention, I declare that what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

' 1. In an electroplating apparatus, the combination of -a tank for containing an electrolytic solution, an endless belt located immediately above saiditank and the under side to travel the length of said tank,one. or more hooks suspended from said belt and electrically connected with one terminal of an electric circuit, an anode or fa nodes ,in said tank electrically connected with the other terminal of said circuit, and a carrier adapted to be supported upon said hook or books and to be electrically connected therewith, said carrier being adapted totravel lytic solution,

in said'solution, substantially as described;

2. In an electroplating apparatus, the com- @ination'of"a tank for containing an electroan endless belt located immediately above said tank and the under side thereof being adapted to travel the length of said tank, one or more hooks carried by said belt and electrically connected with one terminal of an electric circuit, an anode in the bottom of said tank and one or more anodes in the top thereof, said anodes being immersed in the solution and .facing each other, and the top anodes being so disposed as to leave an open passage extending substantially the length of the tank, and a carrier or carriers adapted to be supported upon said hook or books and to be electrically connected therewith, said carrier or carriers being adapted to travel between said anodes, substantially as described.

3. In an electroplating apparatus, the combination of-a plurality of carriers, each of which comprises a metallic gauze oropenwork support, means for moving said carriers through an electrolytic bath, each carrier moving in a different plane parallel to and lowerthan theimmediately-precedingcarrier, an electric circuit connected at one terminal to the respective carriers, and suitable anodes connected to the other terminal of the'electric circuit, and means for successively automatically advancing the contents of one carrier to the other carriers, substantially as described.

4. In an electroplating apparatus, the combination of a plurality of carriers, each of which comprises a metallic gauze or openwork support, having a plurality of independent metallic wires crossing each other and making contact at the points of intersection, a coat of non-conducting material entirely covering said metallic support except at the points where said wires intersect each other, and at one or morepoints on the upper surfaces of said wires upon which the articles are adapted to rest, means for successively automatically advancing the contents of one carrier to the other car'iers, an electric circuit, suitable anodes, and connections due tween said electric circuit and said anodes and carriers, substantially as described.

5. In an electroplating apparatus, the combination of a tank for containing an electrolytic solution, a plurality of carriers each of which comprises a metallic gauze or openwork support, an anode in the bottom of said tank and one or more anodes in the top there-' of, said anodes being immersed in the solution and facing each other and the top anodes being so disposed as to leave an open passage extending substantially the length of' the tank, means for moving said carriers in the electrolytic bath between said anodes, means for successively automatically advancing the contents of one carrier to the other carriers,

between said circuit and the anodes andcarriers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature C; VJEDWARDS, '1. D. SOANLON.

an electric circuit and suitable connections ITO 

